Chingford: From Fields and Forest to Royals and the Railway

Ivor Novello, Lawrence of Arabia, Queen Victoria and the Forgotten Father of English Sport are among the characters with connections to the area that Joanna will introduce you to on this walk around Chingford and the part of Epping Forest beside it that was a hunting ground for Henry VIII. After the Epping Forest Act of 1878 and the arrival of the railways, Chingford and the Forest became a day out for hordes of Eastenders. Following an 1838 tithe map showing footpaths which still exist today, you will hear, among other things, about a family whose actions dramatically improved the lives of Chingford residents and a World War One Aerodrome, with connections to Novello, now lying beneath a reservoir. The walk finishes at a 19th Century refreshment retreat on the edge of the forest a short walk from the station.